Many people see being a librarian as a dream job, and it’s easy to understand why. Libraries are magical places, packed with both knowledge and community, a true third space where a million unique stories play out every day. Bookfolk takes this dream and gives it a supernatural twist, creating a cozy but fun library TTRPG that’s sure to delight players who love relaxed gaming experiences.
Bookfolk is a game for several players and a GM. In the TTRPG, the players take control of a group of librarians whose library has an unusual problem: every book has a Book Sprite nestled inside it. Thus, alongside their usual duties like loaning books and maintaining a silent environment, the players have to care for the Book Sprites and try to minimize their mischief in whatever ways they can.
Making Merry In The Library
The game starts with the players creating their librarians. In Bookfolk, librarians start the game with three skills, which range from social skills (such as calming people down and facilitating events) to technical skills (hiding and repairing objects), and even magical skills (such as magical glares and potion making). Plus, each librarian also has a favourite genre of book. This gives them a special relationship with Book Sprites from that genre of book.
Actions in Bookfolk are based around tables. When a player wants their librarian to use one of their skills, they roll D4 dice depending on their proficiency in the skill. If the character is a total novice at the skill, they roll two dice, but the GM picks which of the dice are used to calculate the result. If the character has practised the skill, they roll a single die. But if they’re an expert at the skill, they roll two dice, but the player chooses which one is used to calculate the result.
After rolling and selecting the dice to be used, the player turns to the skill they used. Each skill has an accompanying set of prompts; the player picks a number of these prompts equal to the number rolled on the chosen die, and these results play out.
During the game, players must manage both the needs of the library’s patrons and the Book Sprites that live within it. Both of these groups have desires they want to enact during the TTRPG session, be it finding a specific book (for library patrons) or doing something that fits their genre (in the case of Book Sprites).
However, if something is unable to enact its desire, the GM may decide it becomes agitated. An agitated patron or Book Sprite will start causing problems within the library until the librarian comes and helps resolve the problem. Thus, the game becomes a balancing act, as one agitated person or Book Sprite can easily trigger a chain reaction that causes the library to descend into chaos, meaning that the players must choose all of their actions very carefully, doubly so because even the best rolls may trigger unexpected outcomes.
Cozy Mechanics Hide Clever TTRPG Design
Bookfolk’s skill system is an utter delight. Each skill’s prompt list features a nice mix of solid resolution, unexpected results, and new plot threads. Thus, (as rolling a 1 is decently rare), players are always nudged towards pushing the plot forward or adding a new wrinkle to the narrative, meaning that the game retains a nice pace. The prompts also strike a nice balance between guidance and openness. Each prompt gives a solid directional push, meaning that shyer players or those new to improv won’t feel like they’re being put on the spot. However, the prompts are open enough that more confident players will be able to put their own twist on them and not feel railroaded.
Plus, the prompts are perfectly attuned to the experience the designer is trying to create. None of the prompts breaks the cozy atmosphere or introduces thematically ill-fitting ideas, meaning that every session of Bookfolk feels cohesive, regardless of how chaotic the library gets by the end of the game.
The game’s layout is also fantastic. It strikes a perfect balance between aesthetics and readability, meaning that each page radiates a cozy atmosphere, but the text remains easy to read, even at a glance. The only addition I would love to see is a single-page cheat sheet that covers the basic roll mechanics and game flow. As players need to pick outcomes from the table whenever they use a skill, the book will be passed around the table a lot. Having a separate rules-refresher means that players who want to quickly remind themselves of a rule won’t have to stop the flow of gameplay.
Bookfolk is a delightful TTRPG that’s sure to capture the hearts of players who love cozy and laid-back games. Thanks to the skill system constantly and naturally pushing the narrative forward, Bookfolk is also a great TTRPG for game nights and one-shot events, as it requires basically no preparation from the GM and is easy to pick up and play, even for people with no previous TTRPG experience. So, even if you’ve never wanted to work in a library, Bookfolk is a TTRPG that is still worth putting on your shelf as it’s sure to give you many nights of book-sorting fun.
